Happy New Year!!! I hope everyone had fun last night, but not too much fun! Kramer and I are flying to New York today, so I may or may not be updating in the next week; it just depends on how much free time I have and what kind of internet access is available. Either way, I’m really excited about our trip!
Now, onto the food. Who doesn’t absolutely adore macaroni and cheese? It’s another dish that you love at any age. I remember when I was little, my favorite macaroni and cheese was made by my grandma who lived in South Carolina. She baked it, though, and I wanted something a bit quicker, so I made mine on the stove top. It was creamy, rich, and flavorful. The different cheeses made for a great combination and the smokiness of the bacon was perfect. This is sure to be a hit, and can easily be doubled if needed! Recipe after the jump, as always.
Ingredients!
Start by frying your bacon until crisp, then remove it to another plate.
Add the shallot and garlic and cook for a few minutes until fragrant. Stir the bacon back in and set aside.
While doing this, boil your noodles.
Add butter in a pot and when the butter is half melted, add the flour and whisk to combine.
When the butter is completely melted, add the milk and cook for 5-10 minutes until the mixture has reached the desired thickness.
Add the cheese and a few dashes of cayenne to the bechamel and stir until it has melted.
Stir in the macaroni and bacon mixture.
Dinner is served!
- 6 slices bacon, chopped
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- Kosher salt
- ½ pound elbow macaroni
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1½ cups milk
- 4 oz. Fontina cheese, shredded (I used a Gruyere; you can really use any cheese you like)
- 4 oz. extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- Dash cayenne pepper
- In a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Set the bacon aside to drain on paper towels and crumble when cooled. Drain most of the fat from the pan and add the shallot and garlic. Cook until translucent and lightly season with salt and pepper. Stir the bacon back in to the onion mixture and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook to al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain the pasta and set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a large pot add the butter over medium-low heat. When the butter is half melted, add the flour and whisk to combine. When the butter is completely melted, add the milk and cook for 5-10 minutes until the mixture has reached the desired thickness.
- Add the cheese and a 1-3 dashes of cayenne to the bechamel you just made and stir until it has melted. Add the bacon and shallot mixture to the cheese sauce and stir until combined.
- Add the drained pasta to the cheese sauce and stir until the pasta is well coated. Top with black pepper and/or scallions if desired. Serves 2-3.
that looks like sweet heaven. I am soo sick right now (bronchitis) and that looks so easy and comforting I may just make it today. Thanks!
-Christey
Even though i am a italian immigrant (my mother Aida arrived at Ellis island when i was just barely born) — she’s dead now — I never knew anything but Kraft Mac&Cheese when it was on sale, like 3 for a dollar at the local NYC food market.
Now that I am famous (Senior Adviser to Serious Eats website) and get a monthly check, I am going to try you delicious looking dish.
Thans for sharing.
Okey, so I made it
and I know it was suppose to be stove top, but i just love burned (crispy) cheese atop my homemade mac, and i recently decided i like the texture of bread crumbs, i did your recipe and then added to it.
)
after everything you did, i then put it in a baking dish and put thin slices of velveeta (shame, i know, but it melts the best) and then italian seasoning and bread crumbs on that and broiled it on lo then hi till it was crisp.
This was awesome.
my version… (not sure if that picture will post or not, so the link is http://www.behindtheviewfinder.com/loose photos/macdone.jpg, and sorry, too sick to pull out the real camera, that is with my PAS
Yum! a quick delicious mac and cheese! can’t wait to make this:)
I was craving this very thing today! Thank you for visually satisfying that craving. Looks lovely. Enjoy your trip to NYC. I will attempt to not be jealous. Happy New Year!
Best, Emily
http://www.justeatfood.com
This looks really good!
It looks fantastic. I ate so much last night and now I am craving mac and cheese again. Happy New Year!
I am not one to make things from scratch. i am a box person. But I have been watching this site for a while and have been thinking about trying a few things. this will probably be the first. Looks great!
I’ve been craving this for a while & this looks like a a fab recipe! It’s definitely next on my list.
When I first saw mac n cheese, I thought okay cool but when I found out it had bacon I was hooked! Bacon certainly makes everything savory better, the jury’s still out on the sweet.
Happy 2009 & have a fabulous trip!
~ingrid
I am curious to try this (sans bacon though)
sounds delicious
Wow, i am getting water in my mouth. i want to try all. Thanks for giving me these.
Wow, this is easy and fast! Thanks for sharing the recipe… and taking the pictures.
My girlfriend used to make something similar and I used to love it. I cannot wait to show this recipe to my girlfriend. This time, it’s gonna be WOW.
I am making that for dinner today!
Lovely, quick recipe.
Thanks.
nice, thanks for the awesome recipe..!
iloveyou kourosh and iran
by
Hungry already! For some reason, if I am ever ill then Macaroni cheese is the first thing I fancy when I get my appetite back. After that I just fancy it most of the time through the winter! I have lots and lots of Christmas ham left over which has a bit of a smokey flavour so I might try and get away with using that. Cheers for the post…
http://discoverunearthed.wordpress.com
That is some seriously pretty mac and cheese. Thanks so much for the recipe.
wow i tried it it is great ps. please come and comment on my blog!
mmm! looks incredible!
I’m trying this today. Looks awesome!
Wow that looks delish. I usually use ham, but next time bacon it is!
Happy New Year!
I think I am clicking on everything that looks like cheesy home cooking today. This looks like a great weekend dish to help weather the cold spell we are going through here.
Will be trying it out, thanks!
I always make macaroni & cheese for the grandkids, but this sounds like a new twist. I will be trying your recipe soon.
Yummy! Bacon, cheese, pasta… what’s not to love?
looks like heart attack food…
[...] Stove Top Macaroni and Cheese – The Crepes of Wrath [...]
Mmm, looks delicious.
I just made a vegan version of this, and it was fabulous! Thanks for the idea!
I’ve been uninspired lately and badly needed a boost in cooking as much as I used to. I feel this is the perfect recipe to get back on track.
sounds great, but save some dishes… make the cheese sauce in the pan you cooked the bacon and onions. if that pan is big enough to then mix the pasta into, you can do so and then serve right out of the pot. now it’s only a pasta water pot and a messy pot.
Yummy!
Thanks for posting this. It looks so easy!
I’m going out to buy the ingredients now so we can have it for Sunday dinner.
Can’t wait!
SOC
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I have not had that in a long time. It sounds very good.
[...] Stove Top Macaroni and Cheese Happy New Year!!! I hope everyone had fun last night, but not too much fun! Kramer and I are flying to New York today, [...] [...]
Yum, what ooey gooey cheesy goodness! It looks fantastic!
Put chopped tomatoes in too!
I’ve recently taken to putting a can of tomatoes in when I make macaroni cheese. They’re good for you and it tastes really delicious!
This was absolutely phenomenal as is, no changes required! Straightforward recipe, wonderful results.
hi! i love your blog and i’ve made about half a dozen of your recipes in the last month. they are all great!
i was wondering, for this recipe, do you only use 1/2 the bag of pasta, or the whole bag?
Okay…I’m always torn between the baked version and the creamy stove type. I just made my baked mac n cheese tonight b/c my daughter loves a crispy top. I love both styles so much. Your creamy one is making me want it next week!
Oh MY! I have to try this one. Pure comfort food.
I just made another version like this. Thanks for the idea!
wow!!!! Looks yummy!!! Wish I could reach through my desktop and take a bite…will have to try your recipe. My significant other is not a fan of mac and cheese but this one may help change his mind
This looks great…I’ve been looking for a good mac and cheese recipe, the last two I’ve tried have turned out pretty bland
This one looks like it’ll be good though, I’ll be trying it next!
yummmyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
Guess I will just echo what everyone else said. Looks like a very good and solid recipe. Will definitely give this one a shot.
[...] found a recipe for macaroni and cheese this morning, and I couldn’t help but notice the complexity of the whole process. Even the [...]
I made this last night for a potluck and it was a hit…didn’t even have any leftovers! Made a few changes, though – I tripled the recipe but kept the bacon amount the same because I thought it would be overwhelming otherwise; I used a combo of pepperjack and sharp cheddar (which gave it the best bite); and I actually made a crust of crushed Ritz crackers, Parmesan cheese, and butter and then baked the whole thing at 375 for 15 minutes. Delicious!
I made this the other night, and it’d delicous. For my tastes though I’ll probably leave out the shallot and garlic next time. I thought they sort of over-powered the cheese. Otherwise this is such an easy recipe. SO much better than the recipe in my Southern Living cookbook.
made this tonight, but I was an idiot and decided to add more flour then was listed, and it ended up being way too thick. then I thinned it out with more milk and it ended up not being cheesy enough. Luckily my boyfriend stepped in and fixed things, so in the end it turned out great. The only other problem I had was figuring out how much half pound translates into cups, but otherwise a great recipe. Follow it exactly!
Oohhh! looks tasty & fattening =) Nice photography by the way- I’ll be stopping back to look for future posts!
Fantastic recipe. Its been on my list of things to make, and now that i’m back at school, decided to make it for dinner for my housemates. Cheers.
Oh dear GOD this is delicious. I have GOT to make this for my friends and family! Thanks!
this looks absolutely delish! Next time you go to NYC you should visit s’mac. Its a cozy lil restaurant that makes nothing but mac and cheese!
i made this dish tonight, and it was fabulous and oh so satisfying! i would describe it as simple but comforting, yet a sophisticated twist on mac n’ cheese. enjoy!
it’s a beautiful thing (bacon frying) =D
mac and cheese just plain rox and this one looks fabulous! thank you ^^
Looks deliciously fattening! Yum!
I agree that a sharp cheddar and a pepperjack would spike up the flavor. Thanks for the recipe, though. The proportions for the beschamel were perfect. I made it last night, first time, without the bacon (didn’t have any) and the whole family loved it, even my northern Italian husband. The chopped bacon might have been an issue for my picky 8-year old. Oh, I used a box of wagon wheels! It was a cute, warming and homey dinner.
I was looking for a stovetop mac&cheese recipe, which led me here. I just wanted to tell you that the name of your blog totally cracked me up.
So, this is one I learned as a kid from my mom. I made this tonight and it was tasty! I like the savory bacon/challots/garlic addition.
For those of you looking for a slightly creamier/different taste to this, start with the rue again (butter/flour – if you’re looking to thicken this up decrease the butter by 1 tbsp). I add the milk VERY slowly stirring the entire time, usually about 1 3/4 cups. I’ve found cheddar, provolone, and parmesan-reggiano to be my favorite blend – just add it in and let it melt until it’s creamy.
the REAL difference is in flavoring the cheese sauce. I add 1 tsp yellow (or dijon) mustard and 1 tbsp worchestershire sauce, a little salt, and stir. Gives it a bright but homey taste.
Oh I just soo love your blog!! You always have a new recipe to show… and all of it is so mouthwatering!!! I so love it. Im gonna try this recipe too!
I made this a couple of months ago and replaced the fontina with goat gouda. AMAZING!
[...] we made fun party food like chorizo and bacon macaroni and cheese (a bit of a twist on one of my favorite recipes) and my famous Magnolia Bakery banana pudding (featured in a beautiful trifle dish that my Aunt [...]
I’ve been using this recipe for a couple of years now & absolutely love it. Always a hit!